Live from the Turkish Coast, Shavinraj Gopinath joins Damon and Greg to talk about his gig as Group Beverage Manager for Max Royal Resorts, which sounds pretty sweet all things considered. Between discussing their foraging program, the elite level of hospitality he’s playing at and how the place even smells nice, Sha has the guys pretty much sold on a guest shift. He also discusses what it’s like to take on a mentorship role in hospitality. Plus, Damon and Greg were on the road this weekend,...

Feeling “ginspired” by the French Riviera? Tom Nichol and Matthieu Perrin sure were when they created the Gardener Gin, a bright, refreshing spirit with botanicals inspired by the beauty of France’s southern coast. The two of them sit down with Greg and Damon to talk about the genesis of this idea, working with a movie star (tune in to find out which one) and what color this particular spirit tastes like. Plus: we’re not gonna talk about it. We are NOT going to talk about it. Follow The...

Claire Marin started out the way all distillers do - by keeping bees. The founder of Pollinator Spirits sits down with the band to talk about her first forays upstate, the move from making honey to making rye whiskey, and what she looks for when making her own not-Campari Campari. She also discusses the role her company’s namesake - those busy bees - play in her work and in our world. Plus, Greg was warned he couldn’t talk about politics, so everyone gets baseball instead. Greg breaks down a...

A few weeks ago the city of Asheville, North Carolina was hit by a devastating hurricane. Lives were lost and the damage topped $50 billion. Danny Boyer manages The Crow & Quill, just one of many bars impacted by Hurricane Helene, and he sits down with Greg to discuss the extent of the damage, how Asheville is pulling together as a community, and what you as a listener can do to help. Plus, the two of them wax poetic about Western NC’s favorite gas station/bar which apparently also...

A collector’s set with a blanco, a reposado, and an a​​ñejo? Yeah, we’ve seen it before. A fragrance collector’s set with those three varieties? Now you’re talking! Joseph D. Solis of Maison Solis sits down with Greg and Damon to talk about growing up as a fragrance collector, moving from the beverage space to the fragrance space, and how he adapted the essences of three different tequilas into scents you can wear. The world of fragrances and the world of spirits are very similar processes,...

When it turned out everything he knew about Navy Rum was wrong, Alexandre Gabriel sailed out to set the record straight… and start making his own. The brains behind Maison Ferrand Cognac and Planteray Rum, Alexandre set about relearning everything he ever knew about this unique style of rum which resulted in a book - Exploring 300 Years of Royal Navy Rum & its Techniques - and Mister Fogg, a new bottling that bears the name of a real British navy veteran. Alexandre sits down with the band...

Get your ten-foot Home Depot skeleton out on the lawn because it’s Spooky season y’all! Megan Rickerson, the owner of Brooklyn’s Someday Bar joins the band live from Portland Cocktail Week to talk about her journey from host to bartender to bar owner and all the tears and joy that entails. Megan talks about forging bonds with local lawmakers, cultivating a devoted band of regulars and occasionally, turning her whole bar into a haunted house, like she did for this year’s Black Lagoon. It’s...

Sam Ross, Joaquin Simo and Miles McQuarrie of Tip Top cocktails swung by the studio and we just couldn't say no to having them on! Tune in as they discuss their latest ventures in the RTD space and how it feels to be a powerful voice in a movement that's now in its twenties. Plus, how bout those Mets?? Find out how Sam's first group of friends in NYC is doing and how the gang is feeling about them. Love The Speakeasy but wish there was more? Check out Bottled in Bond, our new Patreon podcast...

Named for the first woman ever to head the bar program at London’s Savoy Hotel, the Ada Coleman project provides a resource to shed a spotlight on women in the bar industry. Co-founders Kristine Bocchino and Kaitlin Wilkes-Back sit down with the band to discuss their searchable database of women+ bar professionals, how they view the progress they’ve made and the road ahead, and how naughty the phrase “hanky panky” was in its time. Plus, Greg’s back from Mexico. Tune in for a raucous...

Bittermilk founders Joe and MariElena talk to us about the hurdles involved in creating brand of shelf stable cocktail compounds, switching branding to “cocktail mixers” and expanding to multiple line extensions including Barcoop Bevy, Drinkmanship, and Tipplemans all while juggling a growing family in South Carolina. Follow Bittermilk on Instagram @DrinkBittermilk Love The Speakeasy but wish there was more? Check out Bottled in Bond, our new Patreon podcast exclusively for you, our best...

Baijiu is the world’s most popular spirit by volume, easily. And yet most Americans don’t know what it is. Derek Sandhaus is on a mission to change that by introducing Ming River Baijiu (pronounced bye-JYO) to us westerners. He sits down with the band to talk about his journey from publishing to distilling (typical) adapting this ancestral spirit for American audiences, what makes baijiu baijiu anyway, and how it’s traditionally consumed in its native China. Spoiler, you’re supposed to drink...

Chris Hunter started his first company at twenty-five, which makes sense once you hear what it was. The multi-time entrepreneur and creative force behind Koia sits down with the band to talk about his journey through the beverage space, beginning as a nightclub bouncer and ending as a holistic, health conscious dad. Oh, and along the way he also sparked one of the biggest beverage controversies of the 21st century and single-handedly changed federal law when he started a company that begins...

Ireland is in the house! It’s a Hibernian takeover of the Speakeasy as Daragh Flanagan of Bord Bia, Tim Herlihy of Lost Irish and Andy Ferreira of Cask In Cork sit down with the band to talk about the future of Irish bars and Irish spirits in the US. From the early days of Irish Whiskey to the exciting untapped potential of Poitin (pronounced “puh-CHEEN”) the guys talk about the fun stuff coming over from the Emerald Isle and - crucially - how to educate Americans about it. That’s where...

Ben Jones of Rhum Clement and Rhum JM beams into the show to talk about the rhums of St. Lucia and Martinique - what makes them distinct, what makes them delicious and what the American public makes of them anyway. He also debuts their new Bana Canne, which takes all the deliciousness of bananas and fuses it with the rhuminess of rhum. Plus, Damon’s back! Hear what he’s been up to and more this week! Follow Rhum JM on Instagram at @rhumjmusa Follow Rhum Clement on Instagram at...

From gin-soaked martini olive connoisseur to distillery owner, Melissa Katrincic and gin go way back. This week she sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about her journey to making gin, from getting the business off the ground (in a control state no less!) to reshaping the way Americans think about gin. The results are alternatively citrusy, savory and purple. Plus, Greg’s alive! Barely. Hear how New Orleans almost took him down and now he’s back now and ready for more! Follow Conniption...

Allen Katz of New York Distilling Co. sits down with his old buddy Damon to discuss the state of modern distilling, what he’s up to at his shop in Brooklyn, and the new Jaywalk Rye they recently introduced to wild acclaim. Follow New York Distilling Co. on Instagram at @nydistilling Love The Speakeasy but wish there was more? Check out Bottled in Bond, our new Patreon podcast exclusively for you, our best regulars! Join now for sponsor-free listening, video podcasts, access to pre-sales...

Paul Nakayama sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about Nikaido Shochu. Paul's journey into the world of shochu began with a 12-hour boat ride to a remote Japanese island on his honeymoon. Now he and his wife are the first to import Nikaido Shochu to the US. Tune in to hear about the magic of Koji, the place it occupies in modern Japan, and how it works in cocktails and highballs. Spoiler alert, but one answer might actually be “with Cherry Coke.” Plus, the state of the world kinda sucks...

Golf. It’s a sport enjoyed by millions of people and it can also be almost as divisive as modern politics. Can it only be enjoyed by the landed gentry and the country club set? Turner Lewis doesn’t think so and he’s out to prove the haters wrong with Fore Craft Cocktails, a line of RTDs designed for the golf course but, as tested by our boundary-pushing hosts, also thoroughly drinkable off of one. The brand founder sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about getting a cocktail line up and...

Cristalino. What is it? Why is it? And perhaps most importantly, what does it taste like? Jaime Salas, Head of Agave Advocacy at Proximo Spirits sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about this latest innovation in the world of agave spirits, why it follows in a proud tradition of tequila innovation, and how he deals with the haters who need to be sold on his liquid. Plus, whiskey in Williamsburg, but probably not the one you’re thinking of. Greg is on an educational journey into the past,...

Hot dogs, white dog, and so much more comes up when Michele Clark and Sienna Jevremov sit down with Greg & Damon for a special Fourth of July episode of The Speakeasy! The two luminaries from Widow Jane talk about their new proprietary strain of “Baby Jane” corn and the ten year process of going from seeds in a field to bourbon in a glass. Plus, the historic neighborhood of Redhook, Brooklyn and all its fascinating characters continues to impress… and perhaps even give a certain whiskey...

Two of Suncliffe gins founders Ryan Lawrence and Tom Giddings join us to discuss how infusing vodka with items foraged in the Arizona desert during the pandemic led them to being gin producers. They also illuminate how opening a gin company during the pandemic was full of advantages that may not have otherwise existed. Timing is everything Follow Suncliffe on Instagram at @suncliffegin And don’t forget, After Dark Confession with Father Greg is coming up again in Brooklyn on 6/27! Mark...

When Austa Somvichian-Clausen didn’t see a space for her and her former partner, she decided to make one. The creator of Grotto, a sapphic pop-up in New York’s Chinatown sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about building a space for queer women, what she does when the odd straight guy stumbles into it, and the state of lesbian bars and journalism in the age of apps. Plus, another successful BCB is in the books! Greg & Sother trade stories as they recuperate. Follow Austa on Instagram...

It’s June and Pride is popping up and popping off! Joining the band live from Mexico City Michael Aredes jumps in to talk about his journey in the service industry as a queer Chicano, his work to create welcoming spaces - including his new queer Latino popup, Noche Traviesa - and what it’s like to work at New York’s Superbueno now that it’s a year old and crushing the awards circuit, even scoring as high as no.2 on World’s Fifty Best. Plus, personalized Campari bottles? It turns out they’re a...

ET (aka Eric Tecosky even though no one calls him that) wants to talk olive brine! The founder of Dirty Sue talks about his early days as a bartender (and even earlier days as a screenwriter), the lightbulb moment of offering olive brine in a bottle, and how he shifted from bartender to a dirt, salty, entrepreneur! Plus, Greg and Sother saw each other in three dimensions! What a time to be alive. And, congratulations to Krysia Rodak, winner of our Blueberry Mojito recipe contest! Get in touch...

Fourth generation cognac distiller Guillame Thomas is here to shake up the industry in the tastiest way possible! The founder and CEO of Martingale Cognac sits down with Greg and Sother to talk about doing something different in the world of French brandy and making some very tasty juice in the process. Plus, a beloved New York City icon finally embraces the future and we may not be ready for it. Then, on Bottled in Bond, what is it like to work with your family… and be the steward of a...